Neighbor Gives Me The Bird
…and I gave him two beers for his thoughtfulness.
Here’s the bird at issue– a life-sized plastic owl meant to scare away the pigeons on my roof. Yes, despite installing metal spikes on most of their favorite roosting and nesting spots, the pigeons have enough roosting places available to continue loitering on my house and littering in my yard.
So my neighbor, taking pity on me, lent me the plastic owl he’s had sitting around his garage. I just set the owl out on the patio table in the back yard like a bizarre centerpiece and the pigeons stayed away from that side of the house for a day or so.
But this morning I heard the pigeons cooing from their familiar perch at the back of the house. Apparently if the owl is going to work it will need to be closer to the pigeon perch.
An order of pigeon spikes is also waiting for me in an unopened box on my porch. I haven’t installed them yet because I need to buy, rent or borrow a 28-foot ladder to reach the bracket at the top of the rear addition. I’ve figured I needed to buy the ladder because I’ll want to have one on hand for painting and other exterior repairs. However, I would have to pay a lot to get a ladder of this length new and it would probably still not be as strong or stable as what I could rent. I’m looking for a used pro-style ladder on Craigslist as a third option.
3 Responses to “Neighbor Gives Me The Bird”
Id be interested to read more about this owl and how it works out for you. Ive been thinking of such a thing since they are in every garden store we go to. Not to mention it looks cool
Then again, I could put a life size scarecrow in my backyard and wait for neighbor reactions… mmmuuuahh, ha haaaaa!
I’ll try to post a follow-up and let you know how it goes. I have to admit, I’m skeptical about the owl, but mostly that’s because of how persistent the pigeons are.
Good luck with that owl, friend. To keep it consistently effective, I would highly recommend moving it around every couple days or so, to a different place in the yard. Pigeons are smarter than we give them credit for, and they will figure out that that thing isn’t real if it sits in the same spot.
Plastic owls fall into the category of a “visual scare”. There are other products available that do the same sort of thing but they change themselves, so you don’t have to bother with it. The TerrorEyes balloon (http://www.bird-x.com/products/terror.html) is a large, orange balloon with holographic eyes that follow birds wherever they go. This works much better than the static owls.
Best of luck to you! If you want more information on humane bird control, visit http://www.bird-x.com or call (800)860-0473 for a free consultation with an expert.